Post-pointing machine.



y 11. THOMPSON.

POST POINTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILEDA MAB. s1, 1911.

1,029,958. Patented June 18,1912.

2 SHEETSHEBT 1.

WTNESSES (Q NI/ENTOR COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON. 1JA CV H.THOMPSON.

POST POINTING MACHINE.

APPLIoA'rIoN FILED 11111.31, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

d2 ff "6 .f/////////////////// WITNESSES NVENTOR ric ' PosT-PoIN'rINGMACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une'18, 1912.

Application led March 31, 1911. Serial No. 618,127.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pelican Rapids, in the county of Gttertail and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PostPointing Machines, of which the following is a specification.`

The present invention comprises a comparatively simple form of machinedesigned particularly for expeditiously sharpening the ends of fenceposts.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to behad to the following description and to the accompanying drawings inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevationof a machine embodying the invention;Fig. 2 is a top plan view; Fig. 3 is a section taken about on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section taken about on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2;Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 j 5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a sectionsimilar to Fig. 4, but showing the locking lever and the rocker arm inan inoperative position; Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2.

Throughout the following detail description and on the several figuresof the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like referencecharacters.

Specifically describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, it iscontemplated that the machine shall comprise a suitable base 1 havingthe standards 2, 3, 4 and 5 extending upwardly therefrom. Supported bythe standards 3, 4 and 5 are the spaced horizontal guides 6,longitudinally of which is adapted to move a carriage which will supportthe fence post to be pointed in the operation of the cutting mechanismthereon. The carriage aforesaid comprises the ends 7 and 8, the end 7 embodying a frame 9 in the upper portion of which is a clamp member 10slidably mounted for vertical movement and operable by means of a handscrew 11. Coperating with the clamp member 10 is a combined rest andclamp member 12 mounted in the lower portion of the frame 9 and providedwith a downwardly extending arm 13 pivotally connected to a lever 14.The lever 14 is pivoted between its ends to the end 7 of the carriageand has a pawl 15 to engage a suitable segment 16, whereby the lever maybe held at a predetermined adjustment to maintain the member 12 at acorresponding adjustment. One end portion of the post is adapt-ed to beheld inv an adjusted position and clamped firmly by means of the members10 and 12, and the other end portion will be supported on an oppositeend 8 of the carriage. On the end 8 of the carriage is supported avertically movable rest 17 similar to the member 12, but not having theclamping function of the latter, a lever 14, pawl 15 and segment 16being used to hold the rest 17 in an adjusted position also. On thestandards 2 and 3 is mounted a cutter shaft 19 provided with a conicalknife or cutter 20 at one end and operable by a pulley 21 at itsopposite end, said pulley being connected with any suitable motor ordrive mechanism. The outer end of the cutter 20 is mounted in a suitablebearing 22 on the upper end of the standard 3 and the extremity of thefence post which is to be sharpened is passed through the bearing 22into the hollow portion of the cutter 20, preliminary to the operationof the machine. On the shaft 19 is a small gear 23 connected by an idlergear 24 with a drive gear 25 on a feed shaft 26. The feed shaft 26 isprovided with the feed screw 27 at one end and is formed with anintermediate annular seat 28 for the purpose to be hereafter described.The ends 7 and 8 of the carriage are connected together by the upper andlower bars 29 and 30, respectively, and pivoted to the upper bar 29 is arocker arm 31 having thread portions 31l to engage the feed screw 27.The arm 31, being pivoted to the bar 29, may be raised and lowered so asto correspondingly engage or disengage the member 31 with respect to thescrew 27 When the arm 31 is Y raised, it is adapted to be held incoperation with the screw 27 by means of the locking lever 32 pivotedintermediate of its ends to a side of the arm 31, and having at itsinner end a hook 33 to engage with the lower bar 30 to thereby hold thearm 31 with its threaded portion engaging with that of the sc rew 27Between the arm 31 and the adjacent side of the frame 9 is in-Vterposedfa coiled spring 34 which permits movement of the carriage tobe retarded as the post is being sharpened, notwithstanding that the arm31 is constantly advanced in the direction of the cutter 20 by the screw27. This retarding movement of the carriage may be caused by the cutterwhen operating upon a portion of the post having a knot or otherextremely hard substance therein.

In the operation of the invention, the cutter 20 is constantly drivenand motion transmitted from its shaft 19 to the feed shaft 26. The fencepost is placed in position by being passed between the members l0 and 12and centered with respect to the cutterby operation of the adjustingmeans 1l and 14 on the inner end 7 of the carriage, and also byadjustment of the rest 17 which will support the outer end of said postwhile it is being operated upon. The post being positoned in the abovemanner will be advanced to the cutter after the operator has raised thearm 3l and engaged it with the screw 27 locking it in place by the lever32. As soon as the arm 31 reaches the annular seat 28 in the length ofthe shaft 26, the threads of the screw 27 being discontinued at thispoint, the forward feeding of the carriage with the post stops and thepost will have been supplied with a sharpened point.

The knife of the cutter 20 may, of course, be removable for the purposeof facilitating the sharpening thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a fence post pointing machine, the combination of a supporting frame,a cutter mounted thereon, a carriage movable longitudinally of saidsupporting frame and comprising spaced bars, a feed screw mounted in thesupporting frame for advancing the carriage and work thereon to thecutter, and means for operatively connecting the carriage with said feedscrew consisting of a rocker arm pivoted at one end to one of the spacedbars of the carriage and having a handle at its other end, theintermediate portion of the rocker arm being formed with a threaded partfor engagement with the feed screw, and a locking lever pivoted betweenits ends to the rocker arm and having at one end a handle arrangedadjacent to that of the rocker arm and at its opposite end a hookadapted to engage with the other of the bars of the carriage to therebyhold the threaded part of the rocker arm in operative engagement withthe feed screw.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY THOMPSON. Vitnesses AlN'roN T. HEEN, ORRIS OLIVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

